Top 100+ Nikola Tesla Quotes

Here we have gathered a list of Nikola Tesla quotes in the same place for you to read and get inspiration from. Regarded as one of the best scientists and inventors of all time, Nikola Tesla has invented alternating-current electrical system and discovered the rotating magnetic field. Tesla's ambitious work has shown us pretty much everything is possible when you commit to trying until you succeed. The quotes on this list help you in discovering your inner genius and inventor.Every Nikola Tesla quote on this list has been ranked by votes, which means that the most popular quotes from Nikola Tesla are ranked on the top of the list. Feel free to vote up your own favourite Nikola Tesla quote that you like the most to give it a better chance to rank high on the list.

“My brain is only a receiver, in the
Universe there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength and
inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know
that it exists.” ― Nikola Tesla

“What we now want is closer contact
and better understanding between individuals and communities all over the
earth, and the elimination of egoism and pride which is always prone to plunge
the world into primeval barbarism and strife… Peace can only come as a
natural consequence of universal enlightenment…” ― Nikola Tesla

“I do not think there is any thrill
that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees
some creation of the brain unfolding to success . . . Such emotions make a man
forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything.” ― Nikola Tesla

“Fights between individuals, as well
as governments and nations, invariably result from misunderstandings in the
broadest interpretation of this term. Misunderstandings are always caused by
the inability of appreciating one another’s point of view. This again is due to
the ignorance of those concerned, not so much in their own, as in their mutual
fields. The peril of a clash is aggravated by a more or less predominant sense
of combativeness, posed by every human being. To resist this inherent fighting
tendency the best way is to dispel ignorance of the doings of others by a
systematic spread of general knowledge. With this object in view, it is most
important to aid exchange of thought and intercourse.” ― Nikola Tesla

“Invention is the most
important product of man’s creative brain. The ultimate purpose is the complete
mastery of mind over the material world, the harnessing of human nature to
human needs.” ― Nikola Tesla

“Today’s scientists have substituted
mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after
equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality.
” ― Nikola Tesla

“Nature may reach the same result in
many ways. Like a wave in the physical world, in the infinite ocean of the
medium which pervades all, so in the world of organisms, in life, an impulse
started proceeds onward, at times, may be, with the speed of light, at times,
again, so slowly that for ages and ages it seems to stay, passing through
processes of a complexity inconceivable to men, but in all its forms, in all
its stages, its energy ever and ever integrally present. A single ray of light
from a distant star falling upon the eye of a tyrant in bygone times may have
altered the course of his life, may have changed the destiny of nations, may
have transformed the surface of the globe, so intricate, so inconceivably
complex are the processes in Nature. In no way can we get such an overwhelming
idea of the grandeur of Nature than when we consider, that in accordance with
the law of the conservation of energy, throughout the Infinite, the forces are
in a perfect balance, and hence the energy of a single thought may determine
the motion of a universe.”― Nikola Tesla

“From childhood I was compelled to
concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering, but to my
present view, it was a blessing in disguise for it has taught me to appreciate
the inestimable value of introspection in the preservation of life, as well as
a means of achievement. The pressure of occupation and the incessant stream of
impressions pouring into our consciousness through all the gateways of
knowledge make modern existence hazardous in many ways. Most persons are so
absorbed in the contemplation of the outside world that they are wholly
oblivious to what is passing on within themselves. The premature death of
millions is primarily traceable to this cause. Even among those who exercise
care, it is a common mistake to avoid imaginary, and ignore the real dangers.
And what is true of an individual also applies, more or less, to a people as a
whole.” ― Nikolai Tesla

“I am credited with being
one of the hardest workers and perhaps I am, if thought is the equivalent of
labour, for I have devoted to it almost all of my waking hours. But if work is
interpreted to be a definite performance in a specified time according to a
rigid rule, then I may be the worst of idlers.” ― Nikola Tesla

“What we now want most is closer
contact and better understanding between individuals and communities all over
the earth and the elimination of that fanatic devotion to exalted ideals of
national egoism and pride, which is always prone to plunge the world into primeval
barbarism and strife.” ― Nikola Tesla

“I hold that space cannot be curved,
for the simple reason that it can have no properties. It might as well be said
that God has properties. He has not, but only attributes and these are of our
own making. Of properties we can only speak when dealing with matter filling
the space. To say that in the presence of large bodies space becomes curved is
equivalent to stating that something can act upon nothing. I, for one, refuse
to subscribe to such a view.” ― Nikola Tesla

“Our first endeavors are purely
instinctive prompting of an imagination vivid and undisciplined. As we grow
older reason asserts itself and we become more and more systematic and
designing. But those early impulses, though not immediately productive, are of
the greatest moment and may shape our very destinies. Indeed, I feel now that
had I understood and cultivated instead of suppressing them, I would have added
substantial value to my bequest to the world. But not until I had attained
manhood did I realize that I was an inventor.” ― Nikola Tesla

“There is something within me that
might be illusion as it is often case with young delighted people, but if I
would be fortunate to achieve some of my ideals, it would be on the behalf of
the whole of humanity.” ― Nikola Tesla

“Edison was by far the most
successful and, probably, the last exponent of the purely empirical method of
investigation. Everything he achieved was the result of persistent trials and
experiments often performed at random but always attesting extraordinary vigor
and resource. Starting from a few known elements, he would make their
combinations and permutations, tabulate them and run through the whole list,
completing test after test with incredible rapidity until he obtained a clue.
His mind was dominated by one idea, to leave no stone unturned, to exhaust
every possibility.” ― Nikola Tesla

“From childhood I was compelled to
concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering, but to my
present view, it was a blessing in disguise for it has taught me to appreciate
the inestimable value of introspection in the preservation of life, as well as
a means of achievement.” ― Nikola Tesla

“One day I was handed a few volumes
of new literature unlike anything I had ever read before and so captivating as
to make me utterly forget my hopeless state. They were the earlier works of
Mark Twain and to them might have been due the miraculous recovery which
followed. Twenty-five years later, when I met Mr. Clemens and we formed a
friendship between us, I told him of the experience and was amazed to see that
great man of laughter burst into tears.” ― Nikola Tesla

“The scientists from Franklin to
Morse were clear thinkers and did not produce erroneous theories. The
scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think
clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.” ― Nikola Tesla

“The idea of atomic energy is
illusionary but it has taken so powerful a hold on the minds, that although I
have preached against it for twenty-five years, there are still some who
believe it to be realizable.” ― Nikola Tesla

“A new world must be born, a world
that would justify the sacrifices offered by humanity. This new world must be a
world in which there shall be no exploitation of the weak by the strong, of the
good by the evil; where there will be no humiliation of the poor by the
violence of the rich; where the products of intellect, science and art will
serve society for the betterment and beautification of life, and not the
individuals for achieving wealth.
This new world shall not be a world of the downtrodden and humiliated, but of
free men and free nations, equal in dignity and respect.” ― Nikola Tesla

“All perceptible matter comes from a
primary substance, or tenuity beyond conception, filling all space, the akasha
or luminiferous ether, which is acted upon by the life giving Prana or creative
force, calling into existence, in never-ending cycles all things and
phenomena.” ― Nikola Tesla

“Let one concentrate all
his energies in one single great effort, let him perceive a single truth, even
though he be consumed by the sacred fire, then millions of less gifted men can
easily follow. Therefore it is not as much quantity as quality of work which
determines the magnitude of the progress.” ― Nikola Tesla

“instinct is something
which transcends knowledge. We have, undoubtedly, certain finer fibers that
enable us to perceive truths when logical deduction, or any other willful effort
of the brain, is futile.” ― Nikola Tesla

“Each day we go to our work
in the hope of discovering,—in the hope that some one, no matter who, may find
a solution of one of the pending great problems,—and each succeeding day we
return to our task with renewed ardor; and even if we are unsuccessful, our
work has not been in vain, for in these strivings, in these efforts, we have
found hours of untold pleasure, and we have directed our energies to the
benefit of mankind.” ― Nikola Tesla

“The recurrence of a phenomenon like
[Thomas] Edison is not very likely. The profound change of conditions and the
ever increasing necessity of theoretical training would seem to make it impossible.
He will occupy a unique and exalted position in the history of his native land,
which might well be proud of his great genius and undying achievements in the
interest of humanity.” ― Nikola Tesla

“a telephone subscriber
here may call up and talk to any other subscriber on the Globe. An inexpensive
receiver, not bigger than a watch, will enable him to listen anywhere, on land
or sea, to a speech delivered or music played in some other place, however
distant.” ― Nikola Tesla

“When a child is born its
sense-organs are brought in contact with the outer world. The waves of sound,
heat and light beat upon its feeble body, its sensitive nerve-fibres quiver,
the muscles contract and relax in obedience: a gasp, a breath, and in this act
a marvelous little engine, of inconceivable delicacy and complexity of
construction, unlike any on earth, is hitched to the wheel-work of the
Universe.” ― Nikola Tesla

“We are automata entirely
controlled by the forces of the medium being tossed about like corks on the
surface of the water, but mistaking the resultant of the impulses from the
outside for free will. The movements and other actions we perform are always
life preservative and tho seemingly quite independent from one another, we are
connected by invisible links” ― Nikola Tesla

“Nature may reach the same
result in many ways. Like a wave in the physical world, in the infinite
ocean of the medium which pervades all, so in the world of organisms, in life,
an impulse started proceeds onward, at times, may be, with the speed of light,
at times, again, so slowly that for ages and ages it seems to stay, passing
through processes of a complexity inconceivable to men, but in all its forms,
in all its stages, its energy ever and ever integrally present. A single
ray of light from a distant star falling upon the eye of a tyrant in bygone
times may have altered the course of his life, may have changed the destiny of
nations, may have transformed the surface of the globe, so intricate, so
inconceivably complex are the processes in Nature. In no way can we get
such an overwhelming idea of the grandeur of Nature than when we consider, that
in accordance with the law of the conservation of energy, throughout the
Infinite, the forces are in a perfect balance, and hence the energy of a single
thought may determine the motion of a universe.” Nikola Tesla” ― Nikola Tesla

“Jules Breton has spoken of
the history of his life as being at the same time the genesis of his art. This
is true of Nikola Tesla’s evolution. His bent toward invention we may surely
trace to his mother, who, as the wife of an eloquent clergyman in the Greek
Church, made” ― Nikola Tesla

“We are just waves in time and space,
changing continuously, and the illusion of individuality is produced through
the concatenation of the rapidly succeeding phases of existence. What we define
as likeness is merely the result of the symmetrical arrangement of molecules
which compose our body.” ― Nikola Tesla

“When I was a boy of seven or eight I
read a novel untitled “Abafi” — The Son of Aba — a Servian
translation from the Hungarian of Josika, a writer of renown. The lessons it
teaches are much like those of “Ben Hur,” and in this respect it
might be viewed as anticipatory of the work of Wallace. The possibilities of
will-power and self-control appealed tremendously to my vivid imagination, and
I began to discipline myself. Had I a sweet cake or a juicy apple which I was
dying to eat I would give it to another boy and go through the tortures of
Tantalus, pained but satisfied. Had I some difficult task before me which was
exhausting I would attack it again and again until it was done. So I practiced
day by day from morning till night. At first it called for a vigorous mental
effort directed against disposition and desire, but as years went by the
conflict lessened and finally my will and wish became identical.” ― Nikola Tesla

“We wind a simple ring of
iron with coils; we establish the connections to the generator, and with wonder
and delight we note the effects of strange forces which we bring into play,
which allow us to transform, to transmit and direct energy at will. We arrange
the circuits properly, and we see the mass of iron and wires behave as though
it were endowed with life,” ― Nikola Tesla

“Misunderstandings are
always caused by the inability of appreciating one another’s point of
view. This again is due to the ignorance of those concerned, not so much
in their own, as in their mutual fields.” ― Nikola Tesla

“Of all the endless variety
of phenomena which nature presents to our senses, there
is none that fills our mind with greater wonder than that inconceivably complex
movement which … we designate as human life. Its mysterious origin is veiled in
the forever impenetrable mist of the past, its character is rendered
incomprehensible by its in” ― Nikola Tesla

“I [had] admired the works of
artists, but to my
mind, they were only shadows and semblances. The inventor, I thought, gives to
the
world creations which are palpable, which live and work.” ― Nikola Tesla

“Even matter called inorganic,
believed to be dead, responds to irritants and gives unmistakable evidence of a
living principle within. Everything that exists, organic or inorganic, animated
or inert, is susceptible to stimulus from the outside.” ― Nikola Tesla

“I am unwilling to accord
to some small−minded and jealous individuals the satisfaction of having
thwarted my efforts. These men are to me nothing more than microbes of a nasty
disease.” ― Nikola Tesla

“Einstein’s relativity work is a
magnificent mathematical garb which fascinates, dazzles and makes people blind
to the underlying errors. The theory is like a beggar clothed in purple whom
ignorant people take for a king… its exponents are brilliant men but they are
metaphysicists rather than scientists.” ― Nikola Tesla

“War can not be avoided
until the physical cause for its recurrence is removed and this, in the last
analysis, is the vast extent of the planet on which we live. Only thru
annihilation of distance in every respect, as the conveyance of intelligence,
transport of passengers and supplies and transmission of energy will conditions
be brought about some day, insuring permanency of friendly relations.” ― Nikola Tesla

“The progressive
development of man is vitally dependent on invention. It is the most important
product of his creative brain. Its ultimate purpose is the complete mastery of
mind over the material world, the harnessing of the forces of nature to human
needs.” ― Nikola Tesla

“From childhood I was
compelled to concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering
but, to my present view, it was a blessing in disguise for it has taught me to
appreciate the inestimable value of introspection in the preservation of life,
as well as a means of achievement. The pressure of occupation and the incessant
stream of impressions pouring into our consciousness thru all the gateways of
knowledge make modern existence hazardous in many ways” ― Nikola Tesla

“Here was a stupendous
possibility of achievement. If we could produce electric effects of the
required quality, this whole planet and the conditions of existence on it could
be transformed. The sun raises the water of the oceans and winds drive it to distant
regions where it remains in a state of most delicate balance. If it were in our
power to upset it when and wherever desired, this mighty life-sustaining stream
could be at will controlled. We could irrigate arid deserts, create lakes and
rivers and provide motive power in unlimited amounts. This would be the most
efficient way of harnessing the sun to the uses of man. The consummation
depended on our ability to develop electric forces of the order of those in
nature.” ― Nikola Tesla

“I do not think there is any thrill
that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees
some creation of the brain unfolding to success….Such emotions make a man
forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything…an inventor has so intense a
nature with so much of it wild, passionate quality, that in giving himself to a
woman he might love, he would give everything, and so take everything from his
chosen field.” ― Nikola Tesla

“War can not be avoided until the
physical cause for its recurrence is removed and this, in the last analysis, is
the vast extent of the planet on which we live. Only thru annihilation of
distance in every respect, as the conveyance of intelligence, transport of
passengers and supplies and transmission of energy will conditions be brought
about some day, insuring permanency of friendly relations. What we now want
most is closer contact and better understanding between individuals and
communities all over the earth, and the elimination of that fanatic devotion to
exalted ideals of national egoism and pride which is always prone to plunge the
world into primeval barbarism and strife. No league or parliamentary act of any
kind will ever prevent such a calamity. These are only new devices for putting
the weak at the mercy of the strong.” ― Nikola Tesla

“Then I instinctively
commenced to make excursions beyond the limits of the small world of which I
had knowledge, and I saw new scenes. These were at first very blurred and
indistinct, and would flit away when I tried to concentrate my attention upon
them, but by and by I succeeded in fixing them; they gained in strength and
distinctness and finally assumed the concreteness of real things. I soon
discovered that my best comfort was attained if I simply went on in my vision
farther and farther, getting new impressions all the time, and so I began to
travel—of course, in my mind. Every night (and sometimes during the day), when
alone, I would start on my journeys—see new places, cities and countries—live
there, meet people and make friendships and acquaintances and, however
unbelievable, it is a fact that they were just as dear to me as those in actual
life and not a bit less intense in their manifestations.” ― Nikola Tesla

“An inexpensive instrument,
not bigger than a watch, will enable its bearer to hear anywhere, on sea or
land, music or song, the speech of a political leader, the address of an
eminent man of science, or the sermon of an eloquent clergyman, delivered in
some other place, however distant.” ― Nikola Tesla

“I do not think there is any thrill
that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees
some creation of the brain unfolding to success… such emotions make a man
forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything. Nikola Tesla” ― Tesla Nikola Tesla

“The progressive development of man is vitally dependent on invention. It is the most important product of his creative brain. Its ultimate purpose is the complete mastery of the mind over the material world, the harnessing of the forces of nature to human needs.” ― Nikola Tesla